1080 Recipes

The closing of Barca 18 in Manhattan earlier this year left me a little saddened and, not surprisingly, craving the salt cod fritters and ham croquettes that once graced their menu; I can’t really decide if it was because of my true adoration or because I simply couldn’t get them there anymore. In any case, when I got my hands on the newly-translated 1080 Recipes, Simone and Ines Ortega’s Spanish bible of cooking, I was beside myself. Phaidon has done an incredible job, laying out an easy-to-follow format illustrated by Javier Mariscal, offering both English and Spanish titles for the dishes. Although the size is somewhat intimidating — clocking in at a little shy of a thousand pages — it covers every Spanish region, is divided up into manageable sections (appetizers, sauces, pastas, meats, desserts) and offers menus from chefs such as Andy Nusser (Casa Mono) and Alexandra Raij (Tia Pol). Granted, my apartment lacks the theatrical lighting and excess of gorgeous-looking waitstaff that Barca once maintained, but my croquettes? Just as good.

1080 Recipes is slated for release on October 26th, and is available for pre-order at Amazon right now. If you’re at all inclined towards Spanish food and/or looking to infuse some new life into your repertoire, I strongly suggest you get your hands on this cookbook.